Anyone heard about nuclear powered car ? what's your opinion about it ?

Question

Anyone heard about nuclear powered car ? what's your opinion about it ?

Answer 1

IF A NUCLEAR FACTORY CAN LEAK AND CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE IN THE AREA , HOW MUCH MORE CAN A NUCULEAR CAR CAUSE DAMAGE IN MANY PLACES IF THERE IS A PROBLEM AT THE FACTORY AND THAT EACH ONE OF THEM HAS A LEAK FROM FACTORY MISTAKE OR FROM TWO CARS COLLIDING AND REALEASING ALL THAT STUFF INTO THE AIR .

Answer 2

If you could provide sufficient radiation shielding it would be a very good idea.

If you wanted to do it you'd probably be better off looking towards radioisotopes instead of fission (that way the radiation given off isn't as penetrating, I'd suggest Sr90 which is a β emitter (shouldn't require too much shielding) as well as a large and troublesome component of nuclear waste (meaning there's a lot of it and those that have it would like to get rid of it)).  With a brayton cycle gas turbine you should be able to get enough power to run an electric motor for normal cruising and then you'd just have batteries or ultracaps to provide for additional power for acceleration (much like a modern day hybrid).

Oh and despite what some people may have said, no one has ever actually built a nuclear powered car, just models of them that didn't have any nuclear materials in them.

EDIT: fred is right that an electric vehicle could be nuclear powered as could a synthetic hydrocarbon burning vehicle (which is what I think the best solution will turn out to be) but it still needs a regular recharge rather than having enough fuel for the life of the car in it when you buy it.

To be honest I would worry about some of the fools who don't maintain their cars although nuclear would probably be quite a bit better than LPG in that regard, especially if it is based on radioisotopes instead of fission although even fission could be made safe enough (provided you can fit enough radiation shielding on your car).

Answer 3

one was made in the 1950s and never saw production. same with today. it is impossible for one to be made now due to the strict laws of nuclear energy.

Answer 4

hey...it's a good thing that somebody made that thing...well...we can help save the earth...and it can help us save some money because of oil price hikes...

Answer 5

The shielding to keep U from being radiated would weigh much too heavy..

Answer 6

Its is called an electric car. And you charge it from a professionally run nuclear power plant. Cars that are powered directly by nuclear power are far too dangerous to put in the hands of the public.

Answer 7

the Tesla  http://www.teslamotors.com can be nuclear powered - if you wish

as can any electric vehicle. They can also be water powered or wind powered too; depending on the primary energy source.  

Why carry all the weight of the reactor around with you when you can leave it behind to be constantly monitored and maintained by trained personel and just take the generated electric with you in a battery?

Answer 8

A nuclear car would be a h**l of a lot cooler than a Prius.

And to have a car that never runs dry, I'd gladly strap on a lead codpiece.

Answer 9

Nuclear powered cars are you an idiot? Yes let create cars that can be made into bombs and drive them around. Cars that give of toxic radiation and make your hair fall out. There are other alternatives like solar, wind , battery powered electric cars that are a far better option!

Answer 10

Creating millions of unregulated, uncontrolled rolling nuclear reactors generating lethal nuclear waste is probably the stupidest idea i've ever heard.

Boatman, all of your statistics refer to stationary nuclear plants, the question was about a nuclear car.  But since you brought it up...

1. The Penn State reactor may still be running, but at least 19 commercial plants in the US have been decomissioned.  Many, many more research reactors have been shut down.  

2.  This statement is absolutely false.  I can only assume you mean all the spent fuel rods could fit on a football field.  Unfortunately, there is alot more waste than just the used fuel.  For example, the reactor and containment materials from the above mentioned shut-down plants are all radioactive waste.  This would not come close to fitting on a football field.

3.  People have died from radiation exposure, just not in the West as you say.  And there are Western deaths from Chernobyl fallout, they are just very difficult to prove the connection.

4. Fission doesn't generate CO2, but mining, processing, transporting, and disposing of uranium does.

I DO support nuclear power, I just want to be honest about it's costs.

Answer 11

Don't worry nuclear cars won't be used for a long time. I always hear folks talking about bad bad nuclear-- here are a few facts

1. The first University reactor at Penn State is still running perfectly safely after more than 50 years, and is used daily for experimentation and research.

2. If you gathered up all the nuclear waste from all the US reactors running since the 1950s -- it would fit on one football field ! If this small amount of waste was reprocessed it would be reduced in size by about 70%! and the remaining waste is a SOLID.

3. No one in the West has ever died from radiation exposure from a nuclear reactor not even at Three Mile Island.... however hundreds of people have died working in the coal industry.

4. Nuclear fission generates ZERO CO2.

5. The USA gets about 20% of it's total electric needs from nuclear power plants-- while France gets over 70%.

Just something to think about--

Answer 12

Any electric or Hydrogen car can be nuclear powered. I think it was a big dream a while ago (70's) for solving a fuel crisis.

There is a long history of 'technofixes' ideas to solve problems with technology that have not fulfilled the dream. Alot of people say "don't worry about x or y  becase this big idea is going to fix it"

WRONG!

Answer 13

i say we should use it. yah i know its bad for the environment, possible nuclear reaction, blah blah blah shut up you liberals, but we can find a way to fix that. so nuclear power doesnt have to pollute everything. dont forget, its renewable, nuclear powers key ingredient is uranium, a natural element of earth, renewable. so yah go for it. if nuclear power is our last resort then we should use it